Whoever said that you can only enjoy Peruvian culture in Peru?! Founded in 1961 and based in London, the charity organization The Anglo-Peruvian Society aims to, “advance the education of the people of Great Britain about Peru, its people, history, language and literature, its institutions, folklore and culture and its intellectual, artistic, and economic life” and invites anyone, Peruvians, students and those who are simply interested in learning more to become a member. The society meets regularly and hosts events that feature a myriad of aspects of Peruvian culture and society while also fundraising for charities located in Peru. At Aracari we follow the society closely (see here), and for those of you currently living in or visiting London, there are a couple of Anglo-Peruvian Society events on the horizon that may be of interest! Firstly, in just a few weeks on Thursday, October 17th the society is hosting a Perudo Tournament that benefits Sense International, a non-profit that assists the deafblind in Peru. Now, from what I can gather (and I don’t claim to be an expert), Perudo is an ancient South American dice game that can be played with up to six players who each get five dice and a cup. The players must roll their dice, keeping them concealed under the cup and make bids as to how many dice have been rolled by the other players (i.e. eight ‘4s’ have been rolled). Estimates can only increase. The tricky part is that players are allowed to bluff and force other players to overestimate the number! If another player’s bid sounds unrealistic, you can say, “dudo,” which means “I doubt” in Spanish. Once a player’s bid is in doubt, the dice are counted and a new round begins after a player has been eliminated. The last player left
Whoever said that you can only enjoy Peruvian culture in Peru?! Founded in 1961 and based in London, the charity organization The Anglo-Peruvian Society aims to, “advance the education of the people of Great Britain about Peru, its people, history, language and literature, its institutions, folklore and culture and its…
It was a sunny Saturday afternoon in Lima, and I decided that I wanted to see the new exhibit Piruw and Wanu at the art gallery MATE. I wandered down the Avenida San Martin in Barranco, past the Main Square, walking along the trolley line until the street turns into Avenida Pedro de Osma. Just as I rounded a bend, I came upon a building with a gate and white pillars out front. There is a small sign posted outside indicating that this was in fact the art gallery I was looking for. A peek inside of the gates revealed the name MATE in large, colorful letters on the outer wall. After greeting the security guards, I followed a tile walkway inside of the elegant, refurbished townhouse. After entering the lobby, I glanced down the hall at the different salas or rooms of the exhibit before going to the counter to get my entrance ticket. There was no cover for this exhibit, but for one Peruvian Nuevo Sol you can rent an audio guide. Since it was only one sol, of course I rented it and pressed play as I entered the first sala, where I found six black and white photographs displayed in black frames on white walls. This first sala was part of the works titled Piruw, in acknowledgment of the origin of the name Perú as the Spanish conquistadors referred to the country when they arrived. The photographs are by Leslie Searles and Musuk Nolte, born in Lima and Mexico City respectively. Both studied visual arts in Lima. Each of the photographs that comprise this project has a mystical quality, a surreal haze meant to draw the viewer into a realm where reality and spirituality cross and momentarily become indistinguishable. Searles and Nolte documented the celebration of important festivals like the Virgen de la Candelaria in the jungle communities of
It was a sunny Saturday afternoon in Lima, and I decided that I wanted to see the new exhibit Piruw and Wanu at the art gallery MATE. I wandered down the Avenida San Martin in Barranco, past the Main Square, walking along the trolley line until the street turns into Avenida Pedro de…
Over the course of my travels this year, I've had the fortune to visit three small and equally lovely islands: Rapa Nui or Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean, Block Island in the Atlantic Ocean and the Island of Menorca in the Western Mediterranean Sea. Although they are each distinct in many ways, considering the first alone is a volcanic island and the other two continental, all located in different bodies of water, they share a common trait, which is authenticity. To different degrees, all of the islands are lacking in major tourist infrastructure for they have not been built for such mass access; thus the only visitors are those who truly have a desire to explore them. Always on the lookout for new places to explore in South America, in February I found a direct flight from Lima to Huang Roa (Easter Island) and decided to travel to the Pacific island, which had long mystified me. I am not (generally) the sort of traveller who does meticulous research before visiting a new destination, but rather, I follow my instinct and go simply to satisfy my attraction to travel to a new place. I was ready to be surprised by Easter Island, and I was. I was surprised by the magnetism that the famous giant statues or Moais had on me, that despite seeing many of them in different locations I never tired of seeing them. I was also surprised by the barrenness of the terrain. I never expected it to be so devoid of trees, vegetation and wildlife. I thoroughly enjoyed my five-day visit to Easter Island and would happily recommend the charming Explora Lodge to anyone who goes to Easter Island. The visit left me with bittersweet memories and a longing to return and spend more time admiring the intriguing Moai, studying their
Over the course of my travels this year, I’ve had the fortune to visit three small and equally lovely islands: Rapa Nui or Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean, Block Island in the Atlantic Ocean and the Island of Menorca in the Western Mediterranean Sea. Although they are each distinct in many…
Mistura festival 2013 Mistura is Peru's largest gastronomy fair, with restaurants setting up stalls to showcase their speciality dishes and producers demonstrating their region's finest fare. The food fair takes on a celebratory, festival-vibe come night, with music performances and entertainment to as you wash down Peru's hearty food with local drinks. Visiting Mistura Festival After waiting to get inside, we waited in line for tickets for food, and then we waited in line for food with our tickets. They gave us brightly colored maps to navigate the venue spanning some 2.5 kilometers (about 1.5 miles) along Lima’s Costa Verde de Magdalena. Many resourcefully turned their maps into hats to protect their heads from the sun which was shining down unexpectedly this past Sunday. To get a sense of the size, take a look at this video that gives a virtual tour of 2013’s Mistura venue. Though it was my first time at Peru’s international gastronomic fair, this year marks the sixth Mistura since 2008. It has increased in size and duration since the first fair which lasted a paltry three days with a total of 30,000 people passing through the Cuartel San Martin in Miraflores. Since the first Mistura, the fair has changed location and scope such that this year, the host of the event, the Peruvian Society of Gastronomy (Apega) reported that by the end of the first weekend of the fair, some 101,742 people had attended. It was a 10% increase from 2012. Food & Drink from across peru The venue was sprawling. There was every type of Peruvian food that any non-Peruvian, and probably most Peruvians, could possibly imagine or ever desire. There was a Mundo (world) for everything: coffee, bread, quinua, anticuchos (beef heart kebabs), sánguches (sandwiches), de las brasas (grill), oriental, ceviche, líquidos and tabernas y bares
Mistura festival 2013 Mistura is Peru’s largest gastronomy fair, with restaurants setting up stalls to showcase their speciality dishes and producers demonstrating their region’s finest fare. The food fair takes on a celebratory, festival-vibe come night, with music performances and entertainment to as you wash down Peru’s hearty food with…
Coffee Rust effects coffee Production in Peru As devoted and, at times, feverous lovers of coffee here at Aracari, when we heard about trouble brewing in the Peruvian coffee community, we were simply obliged to investigate. Thousands of cafetaleros (coffee farmers) across Latin America this year have suffered major losses due to a fungus known as “coffee rust” for the dusty, orange spots that appear on affected plants. Peru, the world’s eighth largest coffee producer, has been particularly hard hit by this plague, la roya. Coffee harvests under threat from coffee rust Reports estimate that more than a thousand farmers have lost their entire harvest, and the National Chamber of Coffee predicted in June that Peru would lose 2 million quintals of coffee this year, which is about 46,000 bags and almost a third of expected production because of la roya blight. Peru exports to 46 countries with 60% of its output going directly to Europe. This will affect the Peruvian agricultural export economy considering that in 2012 coffee exports generated a quarter of the total revenue—about $1 billion. Already Peru has seen a 30% decrease in coffee production because of the fungus and the fact that coffee prices have dropped internationally. You might be sipping coffee sourced from Central or South America as you read this and wonder how or if la roya will affect you as a purveyor of the world’s finest beans. The truth is that it probably will not impact you directly, but in Peru, it has devastated coffee farmers across the country. Facing huge debts, the farmers requested financial and technical support from the government and were disappointed by the initial reaction to their petitions for aid. This tension peaked in recent weeks when protests by coffee farmers broke out across Peru, including a recent
Coffee Rust effects coffee Production in Peru As devoted and, at times, feverous lovers of coffee here at Aracari, when we heard about trouble brewing in the Peruvian coffee community, we were simply obliged to investigate. Thousands of cafetaleros (coffee farmers) across Latin America this year have suffered major losses…
Manu Wildlife Center Review A few months back, in April, I ventured once again to the southern Peruvian rainforest and to the Manu Wildlife Center, located in the buffer zone of the Manu National Park. Having already visited Chalalan lodge in Madidi National Park, Bolivia, and having later been on an epic journey with my colleague James to three lodges in Tambopata , it was easy to compare and contrast the remote amazon jungle lodge offerings in Peru and Bolivia. A remote Amazon lodge The journey to Manu Wildlife Center Lodge is an adventure in itself and was far more adventurous than to the lodges in Tambopata, and even to the lodge in Madidi. It is reached by a 45-minute flight from Lima or Cusco to Puerto Maldonado followed by an 8-hour journey by car and boat - the route I took on my visit. It is also possible to get there overland from Cusco, via Paucartambo and through the gorgeous, sloping landscapes of the cloud forest between the Andes and the Amazon. However, this is a longer journey that requires an overnight at Cock of the Rock lodge, allowing for more opportunities to spot animals at a higher altitude (Cock of the Rock is at around 1,600 metres of altitude). Although in theory it is possible to fly to the Boca Manu airstrip at the confluence of the Manu and Madre de Dios rivers, the operations there are so temperamental that it is not currently viable for any airline to run a commercial service. Operators in the area also reluctant to rely on charter services as this can lead to delays: travellers can miss an entire day of their program if the charter flight doesn’t run according to schedule. Travelling from Puerto Maldonado by road Arriving at Puerto Maldonado airport
Manu Wildlife Center Review A few months back, in April, I ventured once again to the southern Peruvian rainforest and to the Manu Wildlife Center, located in the buffer zone of the Manu National Park. Having already visited Chalalan lodge in Madidi National Park, Bolivia, and having later been on…
